^^4/9 


HOWARD  H.  JOY, 

SOUTH  WEYMOUTH. 


^X^I^TZEID  IB  "ST 


HOWARD  H.  JOY, 

SOUTH  WEYMOUTH. 


Order  of  services. 


To  add  anything  to  what  appears  in  the  pages  of  this  memorial 
must  appear  superfluous  to  the  reader.  That  it  is  an  honest  testi¬ 
monial  to  the  character  of  its  subject,  none  who  knew  her,  will  for 
a  moment  question.  Her  quiet  usefulness,  her  willingness  to  serve 
wherever  God  should  place  her,  and  the  gladness  with  which  she 
accepted  what  she  felt  to  be  His  call  to  the  work  of  Foreign  Missions, 
are  yet  fresh  in  our  minds.  The  sad  news  of  her  early  death  filled 
many  hearts  with  sorrow,  and  threw  a  shade  of  gloom  over  the  com¬ 
munity  where  she  was  best  known  and  loved.  Upon  the  arrival  of 
more  definite  news  from  China,  action  was  taken  to  commemorate 
her  death  by  a  special  service,  both  by  the  church  and  Sabbath 
School,  her  relationship  to  which  had,  by  her  own  desire,  remained 
unbroken. 

The  church  services  in  the  morning  of  February  4th.  were  opened 
by  the  singing  of  the  anthem,  “Come  unto  Me.” 

INVOCATION. 

Hymn,  “To  Thy  Temple  I  Repair.” 

PRAYER. 

Hymn,  “There  is  a  calm  for  those  who  weep.” 

Sermon  by  the  Pastor,  Rev.  TV  A.  Emerson. 

Hymn,  “My  gracious  Lord,  I  own  Thy  right.” 


PRAYER. 


Iii  the  session  of  the  Sabbath  School,  of  which  she  had  been  so 
many  years  member,  both  as  pupil  and  teacher,  her  life  and  death 
were  tenderly  alluded  to,  both  in  prayer  and  remark,  the  members 
uniting  in  singing,  “Come  ye  disconsolate.’’ 

In  the  evening,  it  held  a  more  extended  service.  A  life  size 
portrait  of  Mrs.  Shaw  hung  behind  the  speaker’s  desk,  draped  in 
in  mourning,  and  surrounded  with  smilax  and  flowers.  These 
exercises  commenced  by  the  congregation  uniting  in  the 

Hymn,  “Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow.’’ 

Selections  from  the  Scriptures. 

Quartette  Singing,  “Death  of  a  Pious  Scholar,’’  under  the  direction 

of  Mr.  E.  P.  Hayward. 

PRAYER, 

Hymn,  “After  the  Christian’s  Tears.” 

Remarks  by  Mr.  II.  S.  Thayer,  vice  supt.,  prior  to  his  reading  a 
Biographical  sketch  by  Mr.  E.  I.  Humphrey,  of  Hyde  Park, 
formerly  of  Braintree,  who  was  unable  to  be  present. 

Hymn,  “Waiting  and  Watching  for  Me.” 

Reading  of  an  Original  Poem  by  Mrs.  L.  A.  II.  Butler. 

Hymn,  “Beyond  Life’s  Raging  Fever.” 

Letter  from  Rev.  E.  P.  Tenney,  former  pastor  of  the  church. 

PRAYER, 

DOXOLOGY. 


Memorial  Sermon. 


Romans  14;  8: — “For  whether  we  live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord; 
and  whether  we  die,  we  die  unto  the  Lord ;  whether  we  live, 
therefore,  or  die,  we  are  the  Lord’s.” 


It  seems  but  yesterday  when  our  house  of  worship  was  crowded 
to  witness  the  marriage  of  two  of  our  young  people,  who  had 
decided  to  enter  upon  missionary  work  in  a  foreign  land.  Full 
of  life  and  enthusiasm,  eager  to  engage  in  labor  for  the  Master, 
they  both  had  high  hopes  of  seeing  much  accomplished  through 
their  efforts.  They  left  our  town  with  the  good  wishes  and  fervent 
prayers  of  many  for  their  safety  across  our  broad  country  and  over 
the  rolling  deep.  And  for  them  in  their  new  home  in  China,  how 
many  prayers  have  ascended  to  God,  who  is  wonderful  in  counsel 
and  excellent  in  working,  that  our  God  may  count  them  worthy  of 
their  calling  and  fulfil  every  desire  of  goodness  and  every  work  of 
faith  with  power,  so  that  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  may  be  glori¬ 
fied  in  them.  A  little  more  than  two  years  passes  away,  and  the 
home  is  mourning  the  death  of  the  wife  and  mother.  Her  body  lies 
in  the  cemetery  at  Kobe,  in  Japan,  but — blessed  be  heaven  for  this 
hope — her  spirit  has  gone  to  God  who  gave  it,  resting  in  a  home  in 
the  skies.  I  know,  dear  friends,  our  hearts  are  with  our  brother 
and  the  little  one  in  that  lonely  home,  and  in  our  prayers  we  re¬ 
member  them,  that  God,  even  our  Father  who  hath  loved  us  and 
hath  given  us  everlasting  consolation  and  good  hope,  through  grace, 
would  comfort  his  heart  and  stablish  him  in  every  good  word  and 
work. 

I  have  selected  for  a  text  a  passage  of  Scripture  written  by 
St.  Paul  to  the  Roman  church,  describing  a  true  Christian  in  large 
outlines — living  and  dying  to  the  Lord.  I  think  it  embodies 


4 


principles  according  to  which  Mrs.  Slniw  endeavored  to  regulate  her 
heart,  her  conscience  and  her  life.  A  worthy  end  certainly !  The 
most  profound  homage  a  creature  can  render  to  his  Creator !  Let  us 
examine  this  principle  of  Christian  living  and  dying.  And  we  cannot 
fail  to  see  how  broad  it  is,  and  how  much  it  involves. 

In  living;  to  the  Lord,  we  give  ourselves  to  Him  as  our  Master. 
The  true  Christian  cannot  look  upon  himself  as  his  own  master,  nor 
is  he  at  liberty  to  regulate  his  life  according  to  his  own  will,  or  for 
his  own  ends.  He  is  the  servant  of  Christ.  He  has  turned  from 
idols  of  every  name  to  serve  the  living  God.  To  this  heavenly 
vision  is  he  obedient;  no  other  Master  has  he  chosen.  He  hears  One 
say:  “Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord  ;  and  ye  say  well  for  so  I  am.” 
This  word  follows  him  all  his  days.  To  serve  the  Lord  Christ 
becomes  his  meat  and  drink.  How  real  then  is  our  Lord  to  whom 
we  dedicate  ourselves,  to  whom  we  give  our  hearts. 

I  know  that  other  masters  will  seek  to  secure  our  attention  and 
thought  and  work.  The  god  of  this  world  will  try  to  deceive  us  and 
to  blind  our  eyes,  showing  how  much  better  it  is  to  choose  him  than 
to  choose  the  Lord  God.  Pleasures  will  be  set  before  us  in  their 
most  alluring  garb;  and  we  hear  many  voices  saying:  “Here  is 
your  greatest  enjoyment ;  live  in  these  things  ;  do  not  concern  your¬ 
selves  about  matters  of  the  soul ;  consult  your  ease ;  live  for  the 
present ;  what  do  you  know  about  the  future  ?  Eat,  drink  and  be 
merry.”  Wealth  fascinates  another.  “O  riches,”  he  cries,  “thou 
art  my  god.”  This  vision  fills  his  mind  with  remarkable  dreams 
by  night  and  with  daring  plans  by  day.  Gladly  he  beholds  the  time 
when  he  can  say:  “Soul,  take  thine  ease,  thou  hast  much  goods 
laid  up  for  many  days.”  Another  acknowledges  this  master — 
fame — and  delights  to  hear  the  cry  :  “Lo,  here  he  is  or  lo,  there  ;” 
while  another  embittered  with  disappointment  draws  himself  like  an 
oyster  into  his  shell,  imagining  that  he  can  best  live  for  himself. 
Still  other  things  are  proposed  for  which  we  are  invited  to  live. 
Some  talk  seriously  of  living  for  liberty,  justice  and  equality.  High 
up  on  the  front  of  many  churches  in  Paris,  cut  in  stone,  or  painted, 
you  will  see  these  words :  liberty,  equality,  fraternity.  Placed  there 
by  a  mad  populace  in  a  time  of  revolution,  when  the  government 
ruled  God  out  of  creation,  formally  declaring  Reason  to  be  their 


god,  and  abolished  the  Sabbath,  making  one  day  in  ten  a  rest  day, 
they  witness  to  unchristian  living  on  the  part  of  the  priesthood,  and 
unjust  ruling  on  the  part  of  the  King.  Nevertheless  these  are  glori¬ 
ous  words,  and  fraught  with  how  much  meaning  to  every  people ! 

But,  friends,  we  cannot  properly  speak  of  approaching  a  power 
or  force  or  of  communion  with  a  principle.  I  know  that  we  often 
talk  thus,  but  only  as  figures  of  speech.  We  cannot  give  our  hearts 
to  a  supreme  power,  or  to  a  blind  force,  or  to  a  generous  principle. 
We  can  hold  communion  only  with  those  who  have  intelligence,  and 
conscience,  and  will.  And  so  we  can  live  for  men,  and  for  country 
— a  collection  of  men,  women  and  children — and,  best  of  all,  for  the 
Lord,  who  is  the  Divine  Man.  How  real  then  to  us  becomes  God  in 
Christ,  the  divinity  and  grandeur  of  whose  character  are  attested  by 
mighty  miracles  in  olden  time  and  by  wonderful  changes  wrought  in 
His  name  in  our  day,  uplifting  whole  peoples  to  righteousness  and 
heaven.  This  Master  is  righteous  in  all  His  ways.  He  makes  no 
compromise  with  sin.  He  is  full  of  tenderness,  inviting  the  weary 
and  heavy-laden  to  come  to  Him  for  rest,  and  ever  going  about  to 
do  good.  Full  of  tenderness !  For  He  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
gave  Himself  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  In  such  a  Lord  can  we  not  rejoice? 
Oh,  if  we  would  choose  Him  as  our  Master! 

But  we  must  go  farther  than  this.  We  begin  with  the  choice  of 
the  Lord  as  our  Master.  Once  for  all  we  settle  the  question  whom 
shall  we  follow,  whose  will  shall  we  obey.  And  we  have  much  peace. 
But  what  comes  next?  We  practice  submission  to  His  government. 
The  true  Christian  looks  upon  the  government  of  God  as  wise  and 
holy,  as  the  best  that  infinite  wisdom  could  devise.  And  so  he 
rejoices  that  the  Lord  reigns  over  him,  and  submits  like  a  dutiful 
child  to  the  varied  dealings  of  his  heavenly  Father.  How  per¬ 
plexed  was  Abraham  when  he  heard  what  the  Lord  would  do  with 
Sodom !  But  he  believed  that  God  was  righteous ;  therefore  he 
could  say:  “Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right?”  How 
troubled  was  Job  in  the  midst  of  so  many  keen  and  bitter  dis¬ 
appointments  !  Yet  believing  in  the  wisdom  and  holiness  of  God,  he 
could  say:  “Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him.”  And 
cannot  we  cherish  this  spirit  of  submission?  Though  the  Lord  give 
us  the  bread  of  adversity,  and  the  water  of  affliction,  yet  we  can 


6 


believe  that  He  will  help  us  in  our  trials,  or  make  a  way  of  escape 
from  them.  A  missionary  dies  in  the  bloom  of  womanhood,  just 
when  she  is  best  fitted  to  do  good  work  for  the  Lord  ;  but  can  we 
not  believe  that  God  knows  what  is  best?  The  true  Christian  can 
sing,— 

••‘I  cannot  always  trace  the  way 
Where  Thou,  Almighty  One  dost  move  ; 

But  I  can  always,  always  say 
That  God  is  Love.” 

By  our  choice  of  Christ  as  Savior  and  Lord  and  by  our  submission 
to  the  Divine  will,  then  we  live  to  the  Lord.  But  more  than  this. 
We  render  a  cheerful  obedience  to  His  word.  God’s  law  is  perfect, 
and  His  commandments  holy,  just  and  good.  It  has  been  the  ex¬ 
perience  of  God’s  people  in  all  ages  that  blessed  is  the  man  whose 
delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.  David  voices  the  feelings  of 
thousands  when  he  writes :  uO,  how  love  I  Thy  law!  it  is  my  medi¬ 
tation  all  the  day.”  “I  will  keep  Tliy  precepts  with  my  whole 
heart.”  And  in  company  with  St.  Paul  we  desire  to  “prove  what  is 
that  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will  of  God.”  Now  our 
Savior  has  made  obedience  the  test  of  friendship.  “Ye  are  my 
friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you.”  Therefore  we  live 
to  the  Lord  when  we  believe  everything  that  Christ  says,  and  do 
whatever  Christ  commands,  and  trust  every  promise  Christ  makes. 
In  a  word,  Christ  is  our  final  authority,  and  is  such  because  He  is 
the  Truth. 

The  late  Judge  Curtis,  one  of  the  most  eminent  men  ever  upon 
the  bench  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  was  dining  with 
several  friends,  and  among  the  subjects  discussed  was  prayer.  After 
one  gentleman  and  another  had  expressed  their  views,  Judge  Curtis 
said :  ‘  ‘I  believe  in  prayer,  because  I  believe  in  Christ  who  told  me 
to  pray.”  Surely  this  to  a  believer  is  an  unanswerable  argument. 
There  we  are  strong.  We  obey  Christ  because  He  is  the  Truth. 
Whatever  His  commands  then,  we  ought  to  obey  them.  Hence  we 
need  to  ask  only  two  questions:  First,  does  Christ  speak?  And 
secondly,  what  is  His  command?  Does  Christ  say  to  you — Give  Me 
thine  heart?  Then  it  is  your  blessed  privilege  to  turn  from  sin  unto 
holiness.  Does  Christ  command  you  —Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 


I 


preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature?  Then  it  is  your  bounden  duty, 
rather  your  glorious  privilege  to  carry  Ilis  word  into  the  regions 
beyond.  It  is  your  Lord’s  request,  and  obedience  you  know  He 
desires. 

uWhat,”  you  ask,  “shall  we  allow  our  sons  and  daughters  to  go 
to  far  distant  lands  to  preach  Christ’s  gospel?”  Yes,  I  answer.  If 
by  uninistakeable  signs  Christ  calls  them  to  this  special  work,  there 
is  no  course  open  for  them  but  to  obey.  Heaven  is  glad  that  some 
are  inclined  to  enter  this  broad  held,  bearing  a  quickening  and 
saving  gospel.  And  you  may  bid  them — God  speed.  What  Christ 
may  sa\r  is  the  last,  the  final  word.  No  authority  on  spiritual 
matters  higher  than  His.  Obedience  to  His  commands  we  are  to 
render  cheerfully  because  He  is  the  Truth.  In  battle  we  know  suc¬ 
cess  depends  very  largely  upon  having  an  able  leader,  and  upon  his 
having  prompt  obedience.  Our  great  leader  Washington  as  he  stood 
under  the  old  elm  at  Cambridge  to  take  command  of  the  Provincial 
Army  inquired  how  the  soldiers  conducted  themselves  at  Bunkers 
llill.  Their  bravery  was  told  him,  and  then  incidentally  the  fact  of 
their  obeying  orders,  and  waiting  lire  under  the  terrible  excitement 
of  the  hour,  waiting  fire  until  they  could  see  the  color  of  the 
enemies’  eyes.  Upon  hearing  this  fact  Washington  exclaimed: 
•‘With  such  men  the  liberties  of  our  country  are  safe.”  But,  friends, 
obedience  is  none  the  less  essential  in  the  Christian  warfare  against 
sin  and  ignorance.  We  have  a  Divine  Leader;  obedience  to  Him 
will  ensure  success,  disobedience  will  bring  defeat.  Those  who  live 
to  the  Lord  are  to  be  gladly  obedient. 

••Theirs  not  to  make  reply. 

Theirs  not  to  reason  why, 

Theirs  but  to  do  and  die.’’ 

But  even  this  is  not  all.  We  live  to  the  Lord  by  dedicating  our¬ 
selves  to  Him,  by  submitting  to  His  government,  and  by  gladly 
obeying  His  precept.  All  these  show  a  right  disposition  in  us,  but 
as  yet  we  are  only  preparing  for  something  better.  We  try  to 
promote  the  interests  of  His  kingdom.  That  kingdom  lies  near  the 
heart  of  every  believer,  because  it  was  dear  to  Christ.  Its  needs  are 
often  borne  aloft  on  their  prayers  because  our  Lord  prayed  for  its 
establishment,  and  suffered  and  died  for  its  growth  and  purity. 


8 


How  varied  is  the  work  of  that  kingdom  !  To  aid  the  poor,  to  visit 
the  sick,  to  comfort  the  mourner,  to  strengthen  the  tempted,  to 
instruct  the  ignorant,  to  tell  of  a  Saviour’s  love — here  surely  is 
something  for  each  one  to  do.  And  it  is  a  privilege  to  watch  for  souls 
and  lead  them  to  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world.  Our  lives  when  truly  loyal  and  devout  declare  the  word  of 
our  Lord  :  “Wist  ve  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father’s  business?” 
It  may  be  in  a  quiet  town  or  in  a  busy  city  ;  it  may  be  in  the  destitute 
parts  of  our  fair  land  ;  it  may  be  on  continents  where  gross  darkness 
covers  the  people  that  the  followers  of  Christ  will  labor,  but  some¬ 
where  they  will  advance  the  Redeemer’s  Kingdom. 

It  is  one  striking  glory  of  the  Incarnation  that  it  reveals  the  worth 
of  the  human  soul.  Christ  left  His  blessed  abode  and  came  down  to 
earth  and  was  nailed  for  our  advantage  to  the  bitter  tree  because  the 
soul  so  precious  in  His  sight  was  in  danger  of  eternal  loss.  Have 
we  not  here  an  answer  to  the  question  as  to  the  rightful  demands  of 
missions  at  home  and  abroad?  To  me  the  fact  that  Christ  so  loved 
the  world  that  He  was  made  flesh,  and  was  obedient  unto  death, 
coming  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,  giving  us  that  sub- 
lime  command:  go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature — is  a  very  valuable  proof  that  we  are  to  evangelize  all 
nations.  Let  men  say  what  they  will  of  the  grand  achievements  of 
the  white  race,  we  must  carry  the  gospel  to  the  black  man,  to  the 
red  man,  and  to  the  yellow  man  as  well.  Not  only  may  the  proud 
Anglo-Saxon  share  its  benefits,  but  offer  them  to  the  scarred 
African,  to  the  wronged  Indian,  and  to  the  despised  Chinese — for 
all  these  our  Saviour  died. 

Now  if  this  be  so.  if  Christ  puts  such  value  upon  the  soul,  if  He 
designs  His  gospel  for  every  race  and  for  every  clime,  do  we  not 
simplify  our  duty?  What  shall  lead  us  to  do  good  as  we  have 
opportunity?  Not  because  races  are  strong  or  weak,  men  rich  or 
poor,  learned  or  ignorant,  but  because  they  have  souls  of  marvellous 
capacities,  capable  of  knowing  God  and  growing  in  holiness.  Some 
Christian  natives  of  Raitea  were  planning  to  go  as  missionaries  to  a 
people  in  darkness  and  sin.  Their  friends  tried  to  dissuade  them 
from  this  work,  telling  them  there  were  poisonous  serpents  there, 
wild  beasts  there,  and  frightful  pestilence  there.  “Are  there  men 


9 


there?”  was  their  noble  answer.  “If  there  are  men  there,  we  will  go.” 

Now  if  Christ  wishes  to  plant  His  gospel  in  every  land,  do  we  not 
see  an  answer  to  the  question  why  some  are  to  go  abroad  while  others 
remain  at  home  ?  I  know  that  there  is  pressing  work  at  home  to 
engage  our  brain  and  heart.  Infidelity,  Mormonism,  Sabbath  break¬ 
ing,  and  intemperance  are  doing  great  injury  in  our  land.  But  think 
what  privileges  are  yours  !  Protection  of  person  and  property,  a 
free  government,  schools  for  your  children,  books  abundant  as  the 
leaves  of  autumn,  churches  whose  bells  call  everyone  to  worship,  and 
best  of  all — an  open  Bible,  the  prolific  source  of  these  priceless 
blessings.  Shall  we  be  so  ungenerous  as  to  keep  these  to  ourselves  ? 
Rather  shall  we  not  find  a  greater  blessing  in  sending  the  gospel  to 
peoples  in  darkness  and  sin,  thus  sharing  these  benefits  with  them? 
And  our  obligation  to  give  the  word  to  other  lands  is  all  the  more 
weighty  when  we  learn  that  we  are  the  fruits  of  foreign  missions. 
Taine  in  his  history  of  English  literature,  borrowing  from  Tacitus, 
describes  our  ancestors  as  savages  roaming  through  the  forests  of 
Germany  and  Britain — a  race  of  gluttons  and  drunkards  ;  sea-faring, 
war  and  pillage  their  only  idea  of  a  freeman’s  work;  slow  to  love; 
of  all  barbarians  the  most  cruelly  ferocious.  But  Christian  mission¬ 
aries,  armed  with  the  cross  and  with  prayer,  taught  the  gospel ; 
Ulphilas  in  Germany,  Patrick  in  Ireland,  Columba  in  Scotland,  and 
Augustine  in  England  — these  men  labored  in  the  fear  of  God  and 
with  love  for  souls — planting  the  beneficent  institutions  of  religion. 
You  and  I  to  day  share  in  the  benefits  of  the  gospel  these  devoted 
men  brought  to  our  fathers.  Shall  we  now  be  so  selfish  as  to  deny 
the  gospel  to  other  lands  sorely  needing  it?  If  a  pure  religion  can 
so  highly  bless  our  Saxon  race,  making  it  the  dominant  race  of  the 
world  in  arts  as  well  as  in  arms,  in  moral  and  spiritual  elevation  and 
refinement,  Oh,  let  us  pass  it  along  to  other  races  and  thus  promote 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Under  their  degraded  exterior  there  lies 
the  stuff  of  character  out  of  which  may  come  something  noble, 
something  unique  in  spiritual  excellence,  some  splendid  order  of 
manhood  and  womanhood. 

Thus  far  I  have  spoken  of  living  to  the  Lord — our  dedication,  our 
submission,  our  obedience,  our  working.  But  the  text  informs  us 
that  when  the  believer  dies,  he  dies  unto  the  Lord.  Just  as  we  live 


10 


unto  the  Lord  when  we  model  our  lives  according  to  His  word, 
making  that  our  rule  of  action,  so  we  die  unto  the  Lord  when  we  are 
willing  to  be  at  His  disposal,  yes,  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  Him  or 
at  His  call.  This  generation  knows  well  how  a  patriot  lives  for  his 
country  by  promoting  righteousness  and  truth,  and  dies  for  it  per¬ 
haps  when  striking  down  a  traitor’s  arm,  or  driving  an  enemy  from 
his  native  soil.  In  like  manner  a  Christian  dies  unto  the  Lord.  Death 
as  well  as  life  we  leave  in  His  hands — to  be  directed  by  His  will 
and  for  His  glory.  Thus  the  time  of  our  dying  we  leave  to  Him. 
God  keeps  us  in  entire  ignorance  of  this  matter.  We  might  wish  to 
live  to  old  age,  filling  up  a  long  life  with  usefulness,  and  we  say 
with  Job  :  “All  the  days  of  my  appointed  time  will  I  wait.”  Perhaps 
in  an  hour  of  severe  suffering,  or  in  moments  of  devotion  we  might 
desire  with  Paul,  “to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ,”  but  we  see  it 
needful  to  remain  and  be  helpers  of  one  another’s  joy.  Perhaps  in 
the  vigor  of  our  powers,  in  one’s  prime  we  may  be  taken  but  the 
believer  will  see  that  God  decides  wisely  when  He  cuts  the  thread  of 
life.  “Only  forty  years  old,”  said  a  dying  saint — a  diligent  laborer 
in  a  neighboring  parish  —  “only  forty  years  old  and  is  my  work  done 
for  my  Master?  I  thought  I  should  live  to  do  more  ;  but  Thy  will  be 
done.”  How  noble  the  spirit  of  McCall  who  on  returning  to  his 
field  in  Africa  died  recently  at  Maderia.  Very  weak  so  that  lie 
spoke  with  difficulty  he  was  heard  praying  :  “O  Lord,  Thou  knowest 
what  I  want.  Do  as  Thou  pleasest.  I  have  nothing  to  say.  I  am 
not  dissatisfied  that  Thou  art  about  to  take  me  away.  Why  should 
I  be  ?  I  gave  myself — body,  mind  and  soul  to  Thee  ;  consecrated  my 
whole  life  and  being  to  Thy  service ;  and  now  if  it  please  Thee  to 
take  myself  instead  of  the  work  I  would  do  for  Thee,  what  is  that 
to  me?  Thy  will  be  done.” 

Suppose  a  life  of  usefulness  in  God’s  vineyard,  like  that  of  Mrs. 
Shaw,  is  cut  short  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-five.  Can  we  say  it  is 
wasted?  Energy,  love,  hope,  service  wasted  in  China!  Friends, 
be  assured  that  no  life  spent  in  the  love  and  service  of  God  is  wasted. 
Her  short  life  wasted  in  China!  Why,  no  doubt  she  set  in  motion 
influences  which  will  result  in  great  good,  lias  done  in  a  few  months 
more  than  many  could  do  here  in  years.  She  has  spoken  some 
thoughtful  word,  or  done  some  kindly  deed — the  vast  reach  of  which 


11 


only  eternity  can  disclose.  No  faithful  word  or  work  is  in  vain. 
Her  short  life  wasted  !  No.  Let  us  get  rid  of  the  notion  that  the 
mere  passing  of  time — the  getting  through  these  years  is  life.  To  eat 
and  drink  and  sleep — to  get  up  in  the  morning,  to  go  to  bed  at 
night — to  engage  in  trade — to  go  through  a  round  of  duties — to  coin 
thought  into  money — this  is  not  life.  Only  a  small  part  of  our  being 
is  aroused,  and  that  not  the  highest  nor  the  most  enduring.  That 
which  makes  life  worth  living  is  love,  faith,  virtue,  knowledge,  joy, 
gentleness,  goodness  and  hope  :  these  nourish  our  spiritual  nature. 

‘•We  live  in  deeds,  not  years  :  in  thoughts,  not  breaths  : 

In  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  a  dial. 

We  should  count  time  by  heart  throbs.  He  most  lives 
Who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best.” 

We  leave  the  time  of  our  dying  to  God  :  we  leave  also  the  place  of 
our  departure  in  His  hands.  1  know  how  natural  is  the  desire  to  die 
among  kindred  and  at  home.  We  are  sure  of  their  utmost  care,  and 


warm  affection.  How  faithfully  they  will  attend  to  our  smallest  want ! 
We  all  wish  our  end  to  come  where  friends  can  smooth  the  pillow, 
and  give  us  the  last  look  and  word  of  love.  How  many  have  you 
known,  seeking  a  more  favorable  climate  for  health  who  hurried 
home  to  die.  But  God  being  everywhere,  we  can  leave  the  place  in 
His  hands.  How  pleasant,  dear  friends,  to  remember  that  heaven 
is  as  near  a  believer  in  one  place  as  in  another  ;  yes  as  near  our  dying- 
friend  in  Japan  as  in  America.  It  is  blessed  to  believe  that  God 
follows  His  children  to  every  land  and  island.  No  continent  so 
broad  that  God  cannot  find  us  :  no  glittering  island  so  small  that  He 
will  not  come  and  abide  with  us.  He  is  near  when  we  cry  with 
Stephen:  Jesus  receive  my  spirit.  In  Turkey,  in  China,  in  India, 
in  America — in  every  place  He  can  hear  your  prayer,  and  when  the* 
hour  of  your  change  shall  come,  He  can  take  up  the  souls  of  His 
children  to  more  beautiful  habitations,  as  He  draws  up  drops  of 
water  into  the  battlemented  clouds  resplendent  in  the  heavens.  So 
confident  can  we  be  as  we  leave  the  time  and  place  of  our  departure 
in  God’s  hands.  Thus  the  Christian  desires  to  live  and  to  die  unto 
the  Lord,  hoping  that  Christ  may  be  magnified  in  his  body  whether 
it  be  by  life  or  by  death. 

The  truth  we  have  now  considered — Christian  living  and  dying — 


12 


finds  an  apt  illustration  in  the  life  of  her  whose  early  death  we 
mourn.  Several  features  of  her  character  it  is  well  for  us  to  call  to 
mind.  We  may  be  quickened  to  more  faith  and  work. 

Her  consecration  how  hearty !  Early  in  life,  when  only  fourteen 
years  old,  she  accepted  Jesus  as  her  Saviour  and  Lord,  and  soon 
publicly  confessed  her  faith  in  Him.  We  cannot  doubt  the  sincerity 
of  her  efforts  to  follow  Jesus.  Henceforth  she  was  the  Lord’s. 
Her  body,  mind  and  soul  were  given  back  to  the  Maker  of  us  all  in 
hope  of  a  happy  life  of  service.  The  talents  God  had  put  into  her 
keeping,  she  accepted  ns  a  loan,  and  diligently  tried  to  gain  other 
talents. 


No  less  marked  was  her  simple  faith.  She  received  the  Bible  as 
the  best  teaching  of  heaven  for  herself  and  for  the  world.  She 
took  God  at  his  word.  In  many  conversations  with  her  pastor  she 
expressed  so  unwavering  confidence  in  God  that  I  think  she  was 
never  troubled  with  doubts.  And  the  reason  is  plain  :  she  was  too 
busy  in  the  Master’s  vineyard  for  doubts  to  get  hold  of  tier  mind 


and  heart. 

.She  wished  to  be  a  working  Christian.  Her  faith  was  kept  bright 
through  service.  Doubts  and  fears  like  owls  and  bats  fly  in  the 
night  time  of  faith  when  we  neglect  duty.  She  proved  the  truth  of 

our  Lord’s  promise  :  If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of 

the  doctrine.  Readily  she  engaged  in  work  in  our  parish  and  church, 
serving  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Mission  Band  for  several 
years,  and  as  a  teacher  in  our  Sabbath  School.  For  the  worship  of 
God  in  His  sanctuary  she  had  a  deep  and  abiding  love,  and  esteemed 
it  a  privilege  to  be  present  every  Lord’s  day.  From  the  place  of 
prayer  her  face  was  rarely  absent.  To  her  mind  the  kingdom  of 

God  was  a  wondrous  reality.  This  idea  of  service  for  the  Lord  in 

other  lands  was  early  manifested ;  it  grew  in  intensity  until  she  fully 
decided  to  tit  herself  for  missionary  work  by  broader  ranges  of  study. 
Circumstances  however  prevented  her  from  entering  upon  this  course, 
yet  while  faithfully  teaching  in  our  public  schools  she  constantly 
aimed  for  larger  usefulness  by  studying  books  so  carefully  adopted 
by  the  University  course  of  reading  for  women.  Her  life  manifests 
this  strong  purpose  to  work  for  the  Lord  everywhere.  Often  in  her 
mind  was  the  question  of  an  apostle :  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have 


13 


me  to  do  ?  Her  dreams  of  missionary  work  were  to  become  realities  ; 
for  unknown  to  her  a  kind  Providence  was  inclining  her  future 
husband  to  decide  upon  this  branch  of  labor,  and  China  was  chosen 
as  their  home.  Earnestly  and  with  much  enthusiasm  she  entered 
into  her  husband’s  labors,  studying  with  care  that  difficult  language 
until  she  could  talk  to  edification  in  prayer  meetings  for  Chinese 
women.  This  idea  of  service  clung  to  her  at  death.  As  she  drew 
near  the  last  hour,  she  said  to  her  husband  :  UI  shall  soon  enter 
upon  delightful  service  in  heaven,  and  you  and  our  dear  friends  will 
still  work  at  Pao-ting-fu.” 

Akin  to  this  desire  for  service  was  her  belief  in  prayer.  She 
prayed  as  if  before  Him  who  is  invisible.  Prayer  was  not  an  empty 
form,  not  a  word  thrown  into  the  air,  but  it  was  the  appointed 
avenue  of  communion  with  God.  She  found  it  good  to  draw  near 
to  God,  coming  to  her  Father  in  heaven  with  a  child-like  spirit,  and 
telling  Him  her  trials  and  her  desires.  Often  on  her  lips  was  this 
petition  :  ‘  vLord,  may  I  be  willing  to  do  what  Thou  thinkest  best.” 

But  in  the  midst  of  work  her  end  was  drawing  near.  Calmly  she 


saw  death  approaching.  Many  plans  of  labor  now  fell  from  her 
hands  like  a  delicate  vase  and  were  shivered.  We  cannot  doubt  that 
her  heart  was  wrung  with  anguish  at  separation  from  him  to  whom 
she  had  been  a  devoted  wife — and  from  the  little  one  to  whom  she 
clung  with  all  a  mother’s  love,  but  even  in  this  trying  hour  her  faith 
failed  not.  Commending  her  dear  ones  to  the  Lord  she  fell  asleep 
in  Jesus  in  the  possession  of  a  precious  hope  of  everlasting  life. 

Parents  and  relatives,  you  have  indeed  been  called  to  mourn,  but 
not  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  You  can  cherish  the  thought  that 
she  who  so  loved  and  obeyed  the  Lord  is  now  at  rest  from  all  pain 
and  care,  engaged  in  delightful  service  in  the  presence  of  her  Sav¬ 
iour.  You  know  that  while  she  prized  your  homes  and  loved  these 
friends,  she  entered  upon  missionary  work  because  she  wished  to  be 
obedient  to  God  who  wTas  calling  her  into  this  vineyard.  You  saw 
her  leave  these  familiar  places,  and  have  been  cheered  many  times 
by  her  encouraging  letters,  so  full  of  interest  in  her  labors.  Her 
work  is  finished  here,  and  God  has  called  her  higher.  You  have 
grieved  that  you  could  not  be  near  her  as  she  descended  into  the 
valley  of  the  shadow,  but  we  trust  that  the  Lord  was  there  ;  His  rod 


14 


and  His  staff  they  comforted  her.  You  have  sorrowed  most  of  all 
that  you  will  see  her  face  no  more.  But,  friends,  remember  that 
Christians  never  meet  for  the  last  time;  there  shall  be  a  reunion 
around  the  throne  of  God. 

And  to  you  who  are  parents  in  this  community,  this  occasion 
suggests  a  lesson  and  a  duty.  Twenty-five  years  ago  a  mother 
dying  dedicated  anew  her  babe  to  God,  praying  that  He  would  take 
the  child  into  His  holy  keeping,  and  fit  her  at  length  for  His  work. 
That  prayer  was  answered  in  His  good  time  ;  that  child  gave  herself 
to  missionary  work,  and  died  in  a  foreign  land.  To  day  we  remem¬ 
ber  her  in  these  services.  Oh,  the  power  and  worth  of  a  parents’ 
prayers!  The  blessedness  of  a  godly  ancestry  who  can  estimate! 
Your  children  are  dear  to  von,  and  you  wish  them  the  highest  use- 
fulness.  How  can  you  secure  the  best  results  of  living  as  by 
training  them  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  as  by 
putting  before  them  true  ideals  of  living.  Fathers  and  mothers, 
dedicate  your  children  to  Him  who  is  the  Father  of  us  all.  God  puts 
great  power  in  your  hands.  St.  Paul  had  strong  hopes  of  Timothy 
because  in  childhood  he  knew  the  Holy  Scripture  from  the  lips  of 
parents.  Teach  these  truths  diligently  to  your  children.  Direct 
their  mental  and  spiritual  growth  with  tender  care.  Show  them  by 
your  hoty  life,  by  your  earnest  prayers  and  warm  sympathies  that 
above  all  things  you  wish  that  they  may  prosper  and  be  in  health, 
even  as  their  soul  prospereth.  Tell  them  that  you  have  no  greater 
joy  than  to  hear  that  your  children  walk  in  truth,  serving  the  Lord. 

And  to  you,  my  young  friends,  do  not  this  life  and  death  teach  a 
lesson?  You  know  that  one  who  was  once  active  among  us  has  said 
her  last  faithful  word,  has  done  her  last  kindly  act.  You  saw  her 
depart  to  her  field  of  labor  with  high  hopes  of  glorifying  God  and 
benefiting  some  poor  discouraged  souls.  You  know  the  story  of  her 
useful  life,  you  have  heard  of  her  triumphant  death,  and  you  all 
believe  that  it  is  well  with  her.  Why?  Because  she  chose  the  one 
thing  needful,  gave  her  heart  to  God  and  loved  His  service. 

How  blessed  it  is  to  surrender  oneself  to  God  early  in  life  !  Our 
Father  is  peculiarly  pleased  when  the  young  begin  to  love  and  serve 
Him.  “I  love  them  that  love  me;  and  those  that  seek  me  early 
shall  find  me.”  You  may  have  the  most  time  and  the  best  opportu- 


15 


nity  for  serving  the  Lord.  In  early  life  you  can  better  lay 
foundations  for  usefulness.  And  often,  my  young  friends,  youth 
gives  us  the  only  opportunity  of  repentance  and  faith.  How 
frequently  death  comes  among  us  and  takes  away  the  3’oung  whose 
prospects  of  life  a  few  months  ago  were  as  good  as  that  of  any  here 
today.  Oh,  then,  act  the  wisest  part.  Remember  thy  Creator  in  the 
days  of  thy  youth.  Listen  to  Christ’s  voice  as  He  tenderly  invites 
y 011  to  follow  Him.  Then  with  your  obedient  lives  you  live  unto  the 
Lord,  and  enter  into  His  salvation  here  and  yet  more  hereafter. 
With  your  strong  triumphant  faith  you  die  unto  the  Lord,  and 
receive  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadetli  not 
away. 


16 


REMARKS  BY  H.  S.  THAYER. 

- - ♦♦♦ - 


When  Kins;  David  was  lamenting  the  death  of  Abner,  he  said  unto 
his  servants,  “Know  ye  not  that  there  is  a  prince  and  a  great  man 
fallen  this  day  in  Israel?”  I  feel  that  on  this  occasion  we  may 
truly  say,  that  a  great  and  noble  soul  has  dwelt  among  us  ;  has  gone 
from  us ;  and  has  passed  on  to  its  reward.  And  we  do  well  on  this 
quiet  Sabbath  evening,  to  honor  the  name  and  cherish  the  memory 
of  Mrs.  Shaw.  For  by  so  doing,  we  show  a  proper  appreciation  of 
her  life  and  work,  and  at  the  same  time  time  we  shall  elevate  and 
intensify  our  aspirations  after  that  pure,  simple  and  Clirist-like  life 
which  she  has  so  well  exemplified.  When  I  look  back  to  the  time 
when  she  dwelt  here  in  our  midst,  and  we  failed  to  appreciate  her 
many  excellencies,  as  we  might  have  done  ;  I  feel  to  say  with  Jacob 
when  he  awoke  at  Bethel,  “Surely  the  Lord  was  in  this  place  :  and 
I  knew  it  not.  For  applying  all  those  tests  of  character  by  which 
we  measure  greatness  and  nobility,  she  was  truly  great  and  noble  ; 
not  perhaps  according  to  the  standards  used  by  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world,  but  by  those  standards  of  excellence  which  God  has  estab¬ 
lished  in  his  everlasting  kingdom.  One  of  the  chief  elements  of 
greatness  in  her  character  was  her  humility  ;  ever  acting  upon  the 
principle  that  He  that  would  be  greatest,  must  be  servant  of  all. 
and  “He  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted.”  In  her  daily  life 
and  work  she  was  a  close  follower  of  Him  who  was  “Chief  among 
ten  thousand,  and  one  altogether  lovely.”  Another  element  was 
her  self-sacrificing  devotion  ;  never  allowing  her  own  ease  or  comfort 
to  stand  in  the  way  of  a  duty  which  God  had  shown  her,  but 
promptly  discharging  it,  no  matter  what  the  cost,  and  this  trait  was 
certainly  illustrated  in  her  missionary  work.  Greater  love  hath 
no  man,  than  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  a  principle.  Again 
she  was  patient  and  persevering,  never  murmuring  or  complaining 


17 


because  God  kept  her  back  for  months  and  years  from  the  work  in 
which  her  heart  was  engrossed,  but,  “Willing  should  He  not  require 
her,  in  patience  to  wait  for  Him  still.”  Yet  all  the  time  preparing 
herself  for  the  day  when  God  should  say  “go  forward.”  She  was 
also  courageous,  no  doubts  or  fears  found  lodgment  in  her  heart, 
but  she  “Waited  on  the  Lord  and  trusted  in  Him.”  Another  great 
quality  was  her  willingness  to  be  always  led  of  God  ;  and  this  quality, 
I  think  explains  the  difference  between  her  character  and  ours. 
While  she  possessed  no  natural  traits  of  excellence  beyond  what 
many  others  have ;  she  did  have  a  willing  heart  to  do  God’s  service  ; 
and  His  spirit  and  power  entering  in,  developed  to  wonderful  pro¬ 
portions  those  qualities  which  we  so  much  admire  ;  as  He  is  ever 
ready  to  do  to  all  who  will  yield  themselves  unreservedly  to  His 
service.  I  am  informed  by  one  who  knew  her  well,  and  had  frequent 
opportunity  to  hear  her  in  her  devotions  ;  that  her  daily  prayer  was 
that  she  might  ever  be  willing  to  bear  the  burden,  and  walk  in  the 
path  which  God  should  place  before  her. 

And  now  looking  back  over  her  short  life  there  are  two  questions 
that  present  themselves  before  us.  Her  life  and  works  ;  were  they 
successful  or  were  they  failures?  How  shall  we  answer  them? 
First,  of  her  works.  What  say  the  scriptures?  “Whosoever  shall 
give  a  cup  of  cold  water  in  my  name,  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his 
reward.”  “Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me.”  “No  man  hath  left  houses  and 
lands,  father  and  mother,,  but  he  shall  receive  an  hundred  fold  in 
this  world,  and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting.”  The  result 
of  her  work,  at  least  here,  depends  very  much  upon  us,  if  we  allow 
her  example  to  stimulate  us  to  renewed  zeal  and  earnestness  in  the 
Master’s  work:  or  if  we  allow  her  memory  to  shame  us,  when  we 
would  shirk  some  plain  duty,  because  of  difficulties  in  the  way,  her 
work  may  be  of  great  value  to  us,  and  may  continue  for  many 
years.  Let  us  see  to  it  that  her  influence  is  not  lost  upon  us. 

Then  of  her  life.  “Whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake 
and  the  gospel’s,  shall  save  it.”  “Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and 
I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life.”  We  can  rightly  estimate  no  life 
until  we  know  its  end.  This  life  is  of  very  little  consequence 
compared  with  eternity.  My  friends,  God’s  word  is  true,  and  His 


18 


promises  are  sure  ;  “They  that  do  His  commandments  have  a  right 
to  the  Tree  of  Life,  and  shall  enter  in  through  the  gates  iuto  the 
city.”  In  that  day  when  they  shall  come  from  the  East  and  the 
West,  from  the  North  and  the  South,  and  shall  sit  down  with 
Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb, 
there  shall  be  none  whose  robes  are  whiter,  whose  love  is  sweeter, 
or  whose  jo}^s  are  greater,  than  the  subject  of  our  memorial  service. 
God  grant  that  it  may  be  your  privilege  and  mine  to  meet  with  her, 
in  that  great  multitude  whom  no  man  can  number,  whose  delight  it 
shall  be  to  serve  in  the  eternal  city. 


!b  C  \  <ri?/  (*'■ 


IN  MEMORIAM. 


FEBRUARY  4th. ,  1883. 


E.  I.  HUMPHREY. 


Memorial  Service. 


Sarah  Lizzie  Burnham  Shaw  was  born  at  Haverhill,  Mass. 
March  15,  1857.  At  the  age  of  six  months  her  mother  died,  and 
she  was  taken  by  her  Uncle  and  Aunt,  Mr.  William  F.  Locke,  and 
Mrs.  Mary  F.  Locke  of  Braintree,  when  she  was  live  years  of  age  as 
their  foster  child.  It  is  from  this  point  in  her  life-history  that  our 
remembrance  of  her  dates.  Between  this  time,  and  the  time  of  her 
death  in  foreign  lands,  our  interest  and  our  affection  have  followed 
her  and  been  with  her  wherever  her  lot  has  been  cast.  To  fittingly 
speak  of  her  either  as  child  or  woman  is  no  easy  task ;  a  life  so 
eloquent  of  goodness  will  never  find  a  fit  memorialist.  It  is  common 
to  speak  well  of  the  dead,  and  yet  no  word  of  eulogy  here  written, 
will  reach  the  height  of  her  surpassing  excellence.  She  was  as 
sweetly  natural  as  a  June  rose,  as  calmly  spiritual  as  a  saint.  Her 
early  life  possessed  no  features  of  striking  interest,  save  the  uniform 
goodness  which  characterized  her  entire  life,  a  quiet,  unobtrusive, 
conscientious  child  ;  cheerful  and  even-tempered,  a  perennial  con¬ 
tribution  to  family  peace  and  joy.  Our  remembrance  of  her  as  a 
child  is  like  the  remembrance  of  a  pleasant  summer  day,  or  of  the 
cheerful  flowing  of  a  woodland  brook.  To  faithfully  depict  such  a 
child’s  life  as  hers  needs  a  facil  pen,  a  language  born  of  the  heart, 
and  a  tender  appreciation  of  the  many  endearing  charms  which 
inhere  in  the  life,  and  find  expression  in  the  conduct ;  her  artlessuess, 
her  trusting  confidence,  her  natural  grace,  her  simplicity  which  was 
undimmed  by  dullness  and  which  sparkled  in  its  purity,  her 
thorough,  homely  worth  all  combined  to  make  her  what  she  truly 
was — a  good  child.  Some  may  doubt  that  even  then  the  leaven  of 
the  spiritual  had  commenced  its  work  in  her  human  life ;  and  yet  to 
be  true  to  her  memory  we  must  affirm  that  the  grace  in  childhood 
only  found  its  fuller  blossoming  in  later  years.  We  would  not  be 
unmindful  that  at  this  period  of  her  life,  as  at  subsequent  times,  she 


21 


was  surrounded  by  salutary  home  influences  :  those  who  have  in  the 
past  entered  that  home,  and  found  its  “inner  sanctuary,”  will  at 
once  acknowledge  the  unerring  truthfulness  of  our  assertion.  Her 
foster  mother  was  a  most  exemplary  woman  ;  she  walked  in  the  path 
of  daily  duty,  quietly  devoting  herself  to  the  various  calls  of  a  well- 
ordered  household :  such  a  life  could  not  be  appreciated  by  the 
multitude,  but  to  the  limited  few  wTho  were  blest  by  its  companion¬ 
ship,  it  proved  a  never  failing  source  of  satisfaction.  Heaven  may 
have  a  warmer  heart,  a  purer  spirit,  a  whiter  soul  in  its  eternal 
keeping  than  that  possessed  by  this  fond  mother ;  yet  we  shall  be 
content  with  such  companionship  whenever  we  shall  join  the  “in¬ 
numerable  throng.”  The  liberty  which  we  take  in  speaking  of  those 
who  have  entered  the  higher  life,  is  not  accorded  us  when  we  turn 
to  those  who  are  yet  with  us  in  our  human  relations ;  but  we  shall 
violate  this  questionable  rule,  to  say  that  the  foster  father  contributed 
by  his  love  and  tenderness  and  constant  care,  a  full  share  of  the 
influence  which  nurtured  and  directed  the  child  and  blest  the  home ; 
the  life  of  father,  mother  and  child  were  the  triple  links  in  the  chain 
of  love,  which  circled  the  family  hearthstone.  Turning  again  to 
the  child  life  of  Lizzie — for  it  was  by  this  name  we  knew  her,  and 
cherished  her,  and  loved  her — we  touch  her  early  school  life ;  it  was 
at  this  time  that  she  commenced  to  manifest  a  spirit  of  teachableness 
which  is  so  essential  to  thorough  educational  acquirements,  and 
with  it  a  zeal  for  knowledge  which  was  unflagging  to  the  time  of  her 
translation.  Her  early  school  life  possessed  the  same  general  interest 
which  attached  to  her  entire  earthly  life  ;  it  was  not  filled  with  striking 
incidents,  unusual  episodes,  or  startling  momentary  exhibitions  of 
power,  but  moved  quietly  on  as  a  river  to  the  sea,  gradually  widening 
and  deepening  and  increasing  in  volume.  Her  home  application  to 
her  studies  at  this  time  needed  constant  restraint:  her  appetite  for 
knowledge  seemed  insatiable,  and  it  was  only  by  frequent,  kindly 
remonstrance  that  she  was  kept  from  over-taxing  her  immature 
physical  and  mental  powers.  Her  eagerness  to  learn  seemed  not 
to  be  stimulated  by  any  wish  to  excel  others,  but  wholly  traceable 
to  a  desire  to  get  knowledge  for  its  sake,  and  for  the  purpose  of 
using  it  to  its  best  ends.  To  be  “first  in  her  class”  was  not  the 
will-o’-the-wisp  which  lured  her  on  ;  she  would  have  been  content 


to  let  any  other  occupy  that  proud  position,  if  she  could  take  some 
humbler  place  and  increase  in  wisdom.  Right  here  let  it  be  said 
that  she  was  not  free  from  the  little  anxieties  and  worryings,  from 
the  doubts  and  disappointments,  from  all  the  vexatious  experiences 
which  go  with  school  life  ;  but  we  do  affirm  that  she  ever  rose 
superior  to  them,  and  made  them  the  stepping  stones  of  her  upward 
progress.  She  endeared  herself  to  her  teachers,  and  very  frequently 
apart  from  school  hours  sought  their  companionship  and  counsel. 

The  one  teacher  who  comes  most  vividly  to  mind,  and  the  one 
probably  more  than  any  other  who  shared  her  confidence  and  esteem, 
was  Joanna  Ward  Penniman,  (now  deceased  :)  she  washer  teacher 
for  many  years,  and  seemed  to  have  over  her  a  peculiarly  strong 
influence :  an  influence  certainly  for  good,  for  she  ever  after  gave 
abundant  proof  that  the  moral  as  well  as  the  educational  training 
then  received  had  been  of  the  right  kind:  other  teachers,  both 
secular  and  spiritual,  helped  to  bring  out  the  luster  of  her  native 
worth,  yet  none  perhaps  more  than  the  one  to  whom  we  have  alluded, 
can  be  ascribed  the  early  direction  of  her  young  mind.  To  follow 
her  school  training  forward  to  the  time  of  her  graduation  from  the 
Braintree  High  School,  would  be  simply  to  repeat  what  we  have 
already  said  of  her  in  her  early  school  life  ;  the  same  undeviating 
devotion  to  study,  the  same  kindly  relations  with  teachers  and  class¬ 
mates,  the  same  home  influences,  and  in  fact  all  general  characteristics 
and  surroundings  remained  unchanged,  save  that  they  strengthened 
and  intensified  with  the  lapse  of  time.  What  a  volume  of  interest  it 
would  make  if  pen  of  teacher  and  school-mate  would  but  combine  to 
supplement  this  faint  outline  of  her  school  life  ;  how  each  page  would 
glow  with  some  fresh  recital  of  her  goodness,  how  many  lines  would 
be  traced  in  tears,  how  many  words  would  electrify  our  memory,  and 
re-kindle  our  affection.  This  cannot  be,  and  yet  we  know  that  in 
many  hearts  to-day  is  written  a  fairer  page,  a  tenderer  line,  a  more 
inspiring  word  than  mind  can  recall  or  pen  indite.  Hardly  had  she 
emerged  from  the  school-room  as  a  pupil,  before  she  re-entered  it 
as  a  teacher ;  and  for  several  years  she  taught  in  the  Union  District 
School  of  Braintree.  In  this  new  field  of  experience  she  evinced  the 
same  zeal  which  had  marked  her  course  as  a  scholar ;  gentle,  patient, 
untiring,  she  endeared  herself  to  pupils  and  parents  alike.  We  have 


now  sketched  almost  her  entire  life ;  but  have  thus  far  omitted  to 
mention,  save  in  a  general  way,  her  religious  experience  and  work. 
This  subject  needs  careful  thought  and  temperate  expression ;  we 
sadly  err  when  we  essay  to  express  by  a  few  stereotype  phrases  a 
religious  life  such  as  hers.  She  lived  as  though  she  believed  with 
the  lamented  Holland,  that 

1  ‘Heaven  is  not  readied  at  a  single  bound. 

But  we  build  the  ladder  by  which  we  rise, 

From  the  lowly  earth  to  the  vaulted  skies, 

And  we  mount  to  its  summit  round  by  round. 

I  count  these  things  to  be  grandly  true, 

That  a  noble  deed  is  a  step  toward  God — 

Lifting  the  soul  from  the  common  sod 
To  a  purer  air  and  a  broader  view.” 

Late  in  1869  or  early  in  1870 — Rev.  E.  P.  Tenney  came  to  the 
North  Parish  in  Braintree  as  colleague  of  Rev.  Dr.  Storrs.  Under 
his  ministry,  Lizzie -then  being  thirteen  years  of  age — commenced 
to  give  evidence  of  strong  spiritual  feeling ;  her  nature  did  not 
undergo  a  complete  change,  for  her  previous  life  had  shown  unusual 
moral  activity,  and  the  dawn  of  spiritual  light  had  already  betokened 
the  day.  The'moment  of  crystallization  seemed  imminent :  her  love  and 
gentleness,  her  cheerful  obedience  and  implicit  trust,  her  unswerv¬ 
ing  kindness  and  conscientious  devotion  to  duty  were  the  natural 
evidences  of  the  soul’s  illumining:  on  this  later  time  was  falling  a 
more  glorious  effulgence.  The  spirit  of  the  Most  High  had  entered 
the  open  door  of  her  heart,  and  had  convinced  her  of  righteousness. 
No  tumult,  no  excitement,  no  unseemly  display  marked  this  de¬ 
cisive  moment  of  her  life,  but  she  quietly,  cheerfully,  earnestly 
walked  in  the  clearer  light  that  was  shining  both  upon  her  earthly 
and  her  heavenly  way.  The  same  spirit  that  was  in  Christ  seemed 
to  pervade  her  life,  and  she  learned  rapidly  what  it  was  to  work  with 
Him  in  redeeming  the  world.  Her  attendance  at  sabbath  school, 
either  as  pupil  or  teacher,  constituted  but  a  small  part  of  her  religious 
work ;  she  early  recognized  the  truth  that  all  good  words,  and  all 
good  acts,  when  prompted  by  unselfish  motives,  were  the  legitimate 
fruit  of  righteousness. 


24 


About  this  time,  during  the  brief  pastorate  of  Rev.  Mr.  Tenney, 
the  same  educational  and  spiritual  influences  were  leaving  their 
impress  upon  many  other  minds  and  hearts  :  among  the  number  was 
one  who  was  unconsciously  moving  in  parallel  lines  of  destiny  with 
the  subject  of  our  memorial.  Willie  Shaw — the  boy  of  our  remem¬ 
brance  —was  giving  good  promise  of  intellectual  victory,  and  coupled 
with  it,  was  the  heart’s  yielding  to  the  Spirit’s  entreaty.  Following 
his  pursuit  of  knowledge  to  the  end  of  a  collegiate  term,  and  having 
chosen  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  as  his  life  work,  he  was  afterward 
ordained.  On  the  fourth  of  August,  1880,  the  marriage  of  Rev. 
Wm.  H.  Shaw  and  Miss  Sarah  Lizzie  Burnham,  was  solemnized- 
Thirteen  days  later  they  left  Braintree  for  China  to  engage  in  the  mis¬ 
sionary  work  of  spreading  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Passing  in  review  over  these  events,  which  we  have  so 
briefly  narrated,  and  considering  the  array  of  influences  which  pre¬ 
ceded  and  led  the  wav  to  this  consummation,  we  must  affirm  that 
providential  ordering  was  clearly  manifest.  Two  such  lives  uncon¬ 
scious  of  their  immediate  future,  could  hardly  have  walked  in  like 
paths  to  a  common  destiny  without  some  other  than  human  guidance. 

We  will  now  retrace  our  steps  across  the  interval  which  stretches 
between  Lizzie’s  childhood,  and  the  time  of  her  departure  for  her 
field  of  labor  in  foreign  lands,  and  linger  at  pleasure  over  any 
pleasant  remembrance  which  may  light  the  way.  Among  the  pleas¬ 
antest  of  these  recollections  were  our  ulong  talks.”  as  we  united  in 
calling  them.  They  were  usually  a  very  gratifying  admixture  of 
pleasantry  and  wisdom,  on  her  part ;  they  were  of  frequent  occurrence, 
and  we  never  rose  from  one  of  them  without  feeling  refreshed  in 


mind  and  spirit.  She  was  an  admirable  “talker:”  her  conversation 
did  not  abound  in  verbiage,  but  she  expressed  herself  with  rare 
simplicity,  and  yet  with  logical  force  and  quaint  humor.  Large 
companies  did  not  get  from  her  mind  its  richest  treasures;  she  was 
at  her  best  as  a  conversationalist  in  the  quiet  of  her  own  home  : 
cheery  friends  at  her  own  fireside,  whom  she  loved  and  trusted,  were 
the  repositories  of  her  most  valued  words.  During  conversation  she 
never  simpered,  she  laughed;  she  never  employed  circumlocution  but 
went  straight  to  the  point.  She  never  sought  to  conceal  her  opinions, 
yet  never  vaunted  them  to  excite  admiration.  It  was  interesting  to 


converse  with  her  because  she  held  cherished  opinions,  and  was 
always  ready,  persuasively,  to  express  them  ;  she  used  and  invited 
the  largest  freedom  in  the  interchange  of  views,  and  when  convinced, 
was  as  ready  to  yield  as  she  was  firm  to  adhere  when  the  thought  did 
not  commend  itself  to  her  honest  judgment.  Her  manner  during 
conversation  was  regulated  by  no  established  usage,  but  went  natu¬ 
rally  on  in  the  expressing  of  very  pleasant  thoughts  in  a  very  original 
wav.  She  was  usually  earnest,  but  rarely  sombre  ;  vivacious,  but  not 
frivolous  ;  genial,  but  not  sentimental ;  and  when  she  threw  away  the 
restraint  of  imposed  conventionality,  she  was  delightful  in  the 
exercise  of  her  unrestrained  freedom.  Another  source  of  pleasure 
in  visiting  her  home,  was  the  charm  which  her  presence  gave  ;  very 
often  we  sat  with  the  family  in  the  evening  hours,  and  enjoyed  the 
hospitable  welcome  which  was  always  extended.  No  moments  were 
perhaps  more  felicitiously  passed  than  those  when  the  exactions  of 
conversation  were  unenforced,  and  we  were  allowed,  without  any  in¬ 
fraction  of  the  law  of  social  etiquette,  to  sit  quietly  and  read  or  muse 
the  time  away.  This  result  can  not  be  reached  at  will,  and  is  never 
attained  unless  we  are  in  the  atmosphere  of  home,  or  where  finer 
sensibilities  are  in  gracious  accord  with  those  around  us.  And  this 
was  the  charm  found  in  her  home  and  in  her  companionship  :  whether 
conversation  or  quiet  reigned,  there  was  always  the  same  tide  of 
pleasure  flowing  in  upon  you.  One  other  important  mention,  and 
we  must  pass  to  the  concluding  of  this  brief  memoir:  when  that  shall 
have  been  referred  to,  we  shall  have  covered,  so  far  as  we  have  been 
observant,  the  salient  points  of  her  life  history.  This  event  of  which 
we  are  about  to  speak  was  an  important  one,  and  yet  of  so  delicate 
a  nature  that  we  will  speak  of  it  in  few  words.  Her  native  common 
sense  did  not  abandon  her  when  the  time  of  her  being  wooed  arrived  : 


she  did  not  for  a  moment  lose  her  self  poise,  nor  did  she  seem  to 
consider  as  a  sentimental  period  this  important  moment  of  her  life. 
Her  acceptance  of  her  lover  was  left  to  the  decision  of  her  heart,  and 
her  subsequent  marriage  was  left  to  no  less  sacred  arbiter. 

Up  to  this  point  we  have  omitted  to  speak  of  her  own  father  and 
mother,  confining  our  statements  to  those  persons  and  events  which 
had  come  under  our  personal  knowledge.  Her  father,  Albert  S. 
Burnham,  of  Essex,  Mass.,  is  still  living:  her  mother,  Cynthia 


26 


M.  Chase, — maiden  name — of  Haverhill,  died  six  months  after 
Lizzie’s  birth :  she  being  her  first  and  only  child.  After  her  mother’s 
death  she  was  taken  in  charge  by  her  grand-parents  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Silas  Burnham,  of  Essex,  who  cared  for  her  until  she  came  to  make 
her  home  with  her  foster  parents.  Her  mother,  in  her  last  sickness, 
expressed  a  strong  desire  that  Lizzie  should,  when  grown  to  woman¬ 
hood,  devote  her  life  to  missionary  work  ;  this  undoubtedly  had 
much  to  do  with  the  after  results.  Of  her  missionary  experience  we 
shall  say  little  :  other  hands  will  register  the  noble  deeds  which  char¬ 
acterized  it.  It  will  be  enough  for  us  to  believe  that  she  did  well, 
and  that  the  same  fidelity  marked  her  course  which  had  always 
manifested  itself  in  her  every  calling.  Her  childhood,  her  school 
days,  her  home  life,  her  moral  and  spiritual  growth,  and  other 
phases  of  her  history,  have  received  a  passing  notice :  also  her 
marriage  and  her  departure  for  China.  Little  remains  for  us  to  say, 
except  to  record  what  we  have  heard  and  what  we  feel  to  be  true  of 
her  last  vivid  experiences  on  earth.  On  the  fifteenth  of  May,  1882, 
there  was  born  into  that  little  home  abroad,  a  baby  boy  ;  we  can 
imagine  the  delight  he  brought,  and  the  love  he  awakened.  No 
mother’s  life  was  ever  touched  with  a  warmer  glow  than  hers  :  no 
little  babe  was  ever  cradled  on  a  fonder  heart  or  more  tenderly 
caressed  by  loving  hands.  A  deep  shadow  has  fallen  on  the  little 
boy,  but  in  later  years,  ere  manhood  shall  have  crowned  his  life,  the 
benediction  of  his  mother’s  character  will  be  shining  on  his  way. 
Elliott  Locke  Shaw  will  then  have  become  the  conscious  inheritor  of 
a  priceless  legacy. 

We  dip  our  pen  in  seething  sorrow  and  strive  to  chronicle  the  last 
sad  hours.  O  what  a  picture  here  unrolls !  How  life  intensifies  as 
it  nears  its  end  !  How  affection  clusters  about  the  closing  hours, 
and  throws  its  halo  round  her  precious  life !  LIow  the  lengthening 
cords  of  undying  love  reach  to  tier  from  earth  and  Heaven,  to  hold 
as  their  own !  Nothing  mars  the  picture,  its  lights  and  shades, 
whether  delicate  or  strong,  have  all  been  traced  by  the  Divine  Hand, 
On  the  twenLy-second  of  November  1882,  “the  earthly  house  of  this 
tabernacle  was  dissolved,”  and  now  she  dwells  in  that  “building  of 
God,  an  house  not  made  with  hands — eternal  in  the  heavens.” 


27 


Original  Poem. 

L.  A.  H.  BUTLER. 


A  child,  in  a  scene  of  youthful  glee, 

She  comes  at  first,  through  time’s  mist  to  me. 
With  happy  smile  on  her  fair  young  face, 

Yet  wearing  quaintly  such  shy,  sweet  grace, 
With  eye  so  true,  and  such  gentle  tone, 

She  then  and  there  made  my  heart  her  own. 

A  quiet  school-girl  I  see  her  next, 

O’er  knotty  problem,  or  wise  old  text. 

And  faithful  labor,  and  patient  thought. 

And  earnest  love  to  each  task  she  brought, 
Till  love,  and  labor,  and  thought,  soon  bore 
A  full,  rich  harvest  of  useful  lore. 

Not  earthly  wisdom  alone  she  learned ; 

To  purer  waters  she  early  turned. 

Ere  sin  had  lured  her  with  gilded  snare, 

While  free  her  spirit  from  shade  of  care, 

Ere  sorrow  had  darkened  the  path  she  trod, 

She  brought  the  dew  of  her  youth  to  God. 

Strong  purpose  now  in  her  young  heart  grew, 
While  still  to  each  daily  duty  true.. 

With  zealous  spirit,  the  children  taught ; 

In  quiet  ways  for  the  Master  wrought ; 

Till  we  said,  if  the  bud  be  so  fair  a  thing, 

What  shall  the  fullness  of  blossom  bring. 


28 


A  cry  came  over  the  waters  wide. 

One  kindred  spirit  with  hers  replied. 

And,  giving  her  hand,  as  she  had  her  heart. 

In  joyful  union  till  death  should  part, 

She  sailed  with  him  to  the  realm  of  night, 

To  carry  the  blessing  of  gospel  light. 

We  followed  after  in  tender  thought. 

And  wondrous  near  was  that  land  thus  brought. 

We  saw  strange  sights  with  her,  strange  sounds  heard, 
And  unknown  feelings  of  pity  stirred, 

As  heathen  homes  in  their  darkness,  lay 
Revealed  in  the  glory  of  Christian  day. 

So  time  passed  on  ;  till  at  length  she  stood 
Crowned  with  woman’s  glory  of  motherhood. 

What  new  love  passed  then  across  the  seas ! 

What  prayers  were  borne  on  the  outward  breeze ! 

While  to  and  fro,  through  the  summer’s  day, 

Fond  white-winged  messengers  sped  their  way. 

Bright  visions  held  us.  We  did  not  know, 

O,  brave  young  heart,  thou  wert  fading  so  ; 

Thy  words  of  courage  no  warning  told 
Of  death’s  near  shadow  ;  its  waters  cold  ; 

Of  all  the  hearts  that  were  knit  with  thine, 

But  one  might  bow  at  the  breaking  shrine ! 

But  walking  trustful  by  Jesus’  side, 

Thy  feet  went  down  to  the  swelling  tide. 

Like  notes  of  triumph,  thy  tones  that  fell 
For  him,  lone  watcher,  who  loved  so  well, 

Till  life’s  cord  loosened,  the  spirit  fled, 

And  he,  sad  mourner,  bewailed  his  dead ! 

Is  this  the  end  of  it  all,  no  more, 

That  lonely  grave  on  a  far  off  shore  ? 

Were  hopes  so  lofty,  such  faith  and  trust, 

Borne  from  us  only  to  lay  in  dust? 

The  old  time  question  will  rise  again, 

Was  not  such  waste  of  such  treasure  vain? 


29 


Down  over  the  line  of  the  ages  track, 

The  old  time  answer  comes  rolling  back, 
ktShe  done  what  she  could.”  Her  tender  Lord 
The  blest  words  speaks  as  her  high  reward, 
As  sweetly  leaning  upon  His  breast, 

Her  love,  now  perfect,  finds  perfect  rest. 

Oh !  not  in  vain  ’neatli  a  foreign  sky, 

That  fresh  young  spirit  went  forth  to  die  ; 

A  flower  shall  rise  from  her  lowly  bed, 

As  fragrance  sweet  by  her  life  was  shed. 

And  power  and  fragrance  alike  shall  rise, 

To  Him  who  will  own  the  sacrifice. 


30 


LETTER  FROM  REV.  E.  P.  TENNEY. 

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Lizzie  Burnham  was  remarkably  matured  and  of  clear  mind  at  an 
early  age.  Her  early  religious  experiences  were  noteworthy  for 
simplicity  of  faith,  and  full  consecration.  With  that  promptness 
which  was  so  marked  a  characteristic  she  gave  herself  wholly  to 
God,  and  was  ready  immediately  to  obey  the  gospel  rule  to  forsake 
all  and  follow  the  Savior.  The  last  Sabbath  I  was  in  Braintree  as 
pastor,  I  asked  the  Sunday  School  scholars  to  give  themselves  to 
foreign  missionary  work,  and  Lizzie  decided  then  and  there  to  do  it, 
and  so  wrote  me  soon  after.  I  regret  that  the  letter  is  not  at  hand, 
but  Dr.  Clark  thought  it  a  very  rare  statement  for  one  so  young ; 
having  the  right  ring  to  it.  The  plan  was  for  her  to  fit  herself  at 
once,  by  years  of  schooling,  for  foreign  mission  work ;  and  the  way 
was  prepared  for  her  to  do  it.  But  she  yielded  to  the  judgment  of 
wise  domestic  friends  that  it  would  be  better  for  her  to  wait  a  few 
years.  The  cheerfulness  with  which  she  did  this,  entering  at  once 
on  vigorous  work  at  home,  is  well  known. 

I  confess,  however,  the  satisfaction  I  had  in  seeing  that  she  was 
still  likely  to  become  a  missionary ;  since  it  has  been  one  of  the 

pleasantest  memories  I  had  of  the  Blue  Hills,  that  upon  the  top  of 

% 

one  of  them,  high  above  the  tree-tops,  and  overlooking  wide  forests 
and  the  far  away  sea,  Willie  Shaw  had  kneeled  with  me  in  prayer, 
quite  early  in  liis  new  Christian  experiences,  there  praying  earnestly 
about  the  foreign  missionary  work,  asking  God,  if  it  were  His  will, 
to  open  the  way  for  this  lad  to  enter  into  mission  work  for  which 
he  had  been  singularly  fitted  in  his  early  home  training. 

There  is  an  old  story  that  when  the  death  of  a  Moravian  mission¬ 
ary  was  reported  in  the  church  from  which  he  had  gone  forth,  there 
were  six  volunteers  i^esponded  to  the  question,  who  would  take  his 
place.  May  God  grant  that  the  young  people  of  Braintree  shall 
make  good  the  place  of  her  who  has  been  released  from  service,  and 
that  Lizzie  Shaw’s  influence  may  inspire  others  to  like  holy  missions. 

* 


31 


Since  the  above  was  compiled,  news  was  received  of  the  death  of 
Elliott  Locke  Shaw,  infant  son  of  Rev.W.H.  and  the  late  Mrs.  S.  L. 
Shaw,  which  took  place  at  Tient-sin,  China,  December  22nd,  1882, 
just  one  month  after  its  mother  was  called  home. 

“IS  IT  WELL  WITH  THE  CHILD?”  “IT  IS  WELL.” 

Is  it  not  well,  that  tender  bud  and  blossom, 

So  earty  snapped  in  twain, 

In  the  fair  land  where  death’s  chill  frosts  ne’er  enter, 
Should  be  made  one  again? 

That  almost  ere  the  arms  that  claimed  the  nestling, 

Their  emptiness  had  known, 

In  the  secureness  of  the  home  eternal, 

Should  clasp  again  their  own  ? 

Is  it  not  well?  No  darkening  cloud  of  sorrow, 

Its  sky  shall  overcast : 

Life’s  weary  trials  have  at  outset  vanished ; 

Death’s  bitterness  is  passed. 

Is  it  not  well?  With  ne’er  a  taint  of  evil 
To  mark  its  earthly  track, 

As  pure  as  when,  sweet  pledge  of  love,  He  gave  it, 

The  Father  took  it  back. 

We,  o’  er  whose  brightest  moments  falls  the  shadow, 

Of  the  lost  mother  love, 

And  wre,  again,  who  fold  our  poor  weak  pinions, 

Over  each  dear  home  dove, 

Filled  with  those  fears  and  yearnings  for  their  future, 
Which  mother  hearts  will  swell, 

Say  of  this  little  one  so  safely  sheltered, 

We  joy  that  it  is  well. 

And  thou,  poor  heart,  whose  household  gods  lie  shattered, 
Beneath  this  double  blow, 

Not  always  while  with  robes  of  flesh  encumbered, 

God’s  dealings  may  we  know  ; 

Doubt  not,  although  amid  thick  clouds  and  darkness, 

He  seem  awhile  to  dwell. 

And  if  not  here,  when  faith  shall  turn  to  vision, 

Thou  shalt  own,  it  was  well. 


32 


RESOLUTIONS. 


Whereas,  it  lias  pleased  our  Heavenly  Father  to  call  home  our 
sister,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Shaw,  late  missionary  in  China,  and, — 

Whereas,  Mrs.  Shaw  had  from  childhood  been  well  known  to  all 
in  this  Parish  and  community,  they  having  observed  her  good 
qualities  and  ability,  her  interest  in  religious,  social  and  literary 
matters,  therefore, — 

Resolved,  That  her  exemplary  life  and  self-sacrificing  spirit  were 
worthy  of  emulation. 

Resolved,  that  her  husband — Rev.  W.  H.  Shaw — an  esteemed 
friend  and  brother,  has  our  heart-felt  sympathy  in  his  great  aftliction, 
the  loss  of  his  wife  ;  and  our  assurance  in  the  belief  that  though 
God’s  ways  are  sometimes  mysterious,  and  sometimes  hard  to  bear, 
yet  he  doetli  all  things  well — for  the  best. 

Resolved,  That  we  earnestly  hope  our  brother  will  fully  recover 
his  health,  be  enabled  to  continue  liis  work  satisfactorily  to  himself 
and  acceptably  to  the  Master. 


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